After brashly declaring he wanted to #testify in his #criminal trial, it appears increasingly unlikely that #Trump will do so, as the #jury seems poised to hear #ClosingArguments next week.
Defendants rarely testify, because their #lawyers advise them that the risks of doing so, particularly when it comes to being questioned by prosecutors #UnderOath, are simply too great.
In Trump’s case, the judge’s discussions w/ #lawyers in recent days indicate that even if the defense calls a small number of witnesses, they do not expect #Trump to be one….
4 people close to Trump said next wk’s plan does not include him testifying, & they expect the #jury to start deliberating later in the wk. Trump is famously mercurial & could always demand to testify….
“It sounds like we might possibly be done w/ the presentation of evidence on Monday,” NY Supreme Court Justice Juan #Merchan said Thurs.
Blanche quickly added, “I was not speaking about President Trump, obviously. … That’s another decision that we need to think through.”
★ If #Trump were to take the stand, such testimony could take many days, which would significantly extend the trial.
#EJeanCarroll's #legal team on Fri questioned whether #Trump can even #testify — & showed his 5-min courtroom tirade in his fraud case to argue he wants to 'sow chaos'
Carroll's legal team also wants the judge to make Trump declare under oath that he understands:
*It's been established that he sexually assaulted her & #defamed her by lying about it.
*He's blocked from disputing it & will "conduct himself" accordingly
But #Trump vowed to do more, telling reporters Thurs afternoon at his 40 Wall St property: "I'm going to go to the [#EJeanCarroll v. Trump triall, & I'm going to explain I don't know who the hell she is."
Judge Kaplan made clear: Trump can't do that.
If Trump violates these orders, Carroll's #legal team proposes, the judge may find him in #contempt or refer his attorneys for professional discipline.
Giuliani Won't #Testify, Despite Pledge To 'Definitively Clear' His Name By Doing So
The former Donald #Trump election #lawyer talked a big game earlier this week about taking the stand in his own defense.
As the second half of his trial kicked off this week, Giuliani had told reporters that he would “definitively clear” his name by taking the stand and proving that his lies about two #Georgia#election workers weren’t lies at all.
#HunterBiden appeared on Capitol Hill on Wednesday morning to offer to publicly #testify in #HouseRepublicans’ #impeachment investigation into his father, though he insisted he would not appear for the private #deposition they scheduled over his refusals.
#HunterBiden has objected to providing private testimony, saying he fears #Republicans will selectively leak his remarks & try to distort what he says. He has repeatedly proposed that he appear at a #public hearing instead to answer their questions.
“They have lied over and over,” #Biden said of Republicans.
Republicans have threatened to hold him in contempt of Congress if he does not comply, saying a public hearing is not enough.
#HunterBiden is under federal #indictment facing accusations of #tax#crimes. #House#Republicans plan to hold a vote Wed evening to formally open an #impeachment investigation into President Joe #Biden, hoping to tie the younger Biden’s alleged wrongdoing through overseas business deals to the incumbent president (without any evidence at all).
“Let me get this straight; After wailing and moaning for ten months about #HunterBiden and alluding to some vast unproven family #conspiracy, after sending Hunter Biden a #subpoena to appear and #testify, Chairman #JamesComer and the #Oversight Republicans now reject his offer to appear before the full #Committee and the eyes of the world and to answer any questions that they pose?”
What the Republicans fear most is sunlight and the truth.
#Trump: “he ruled against me before he knew anything about me, he ruled I was a fraud [knowing nothing] about me. He called me a fraud & he didn't know anything about me!" Trump’s voice rising.
"It's a terrible thing that you've done," Trump tells the judge.
"You believed that political hack back there,"
Trump says, pointing to NY AG Letitia James, who's sitting in the courtroom.
Given his repeated warnings earlier this morning, the judge has given remarkable latitude for all of this.
"djt told [the reporter] the 600 [number] so he will be happy if that gets printed."
#Trump conceded he was the "djt" his son referred to in the email.
(Lunch)
Trump posted this over the recess (pic)
Judge Engoron actually said (context above):
"I'm not here to hear what he has to say. He's here to answer questions" — Engoron was explaining Trump can’t just go off & expect them to allow it.